The present invention relates generally to a sling for supporting the arm and shoulder of a patient. More particularly it relates to a sling that provides bracing and stabilization to the shoulder and arm of a patient. Although the sling may be used for other situations, the sling is particularly useful for acromio-clavicular separations.
Slings of many different styles have been created to provide support while patients are recovering from broken bones, surgery and other injuries. However, these prior art devices have an assortment of disadvantages. For example, standard slings are made from inelastic materials. The user places their arm in the sling and the sling supports the weight of the arm. However, in this case, if the user moves the arm upward even a small amount, no support is provided. Therefore, most users are severely limited in the amount of motion they can achieve while they are incapacitated and using the sling.
Other styles of slings utilize complicated adjustment systems that are difficult to adjust to correctly fit the user and may be even more difficult for the user to don. These slings are also typically somewhat costly to manufacture due to the large number of parts and the assembly required.
Therefore, there is a clear need in the industry for an easily adjustable, resilient sling that provides elastic support for a user""s arm throughout a wide range of motion, thereby enabling the user at least partial use of his or her arm.
The present invention takes the form of a sling to support and brace a user""s arm after surgery or injury. The sling has a generally rectangular shoulder pad with a cutout for the user""s neck and two to four attachment rings attached thereto. One embodiment uses four D-rings. A chest strap is attached to two of the D-rings, one on each end of the shoulder pad. An arm strap is attached to the two remaining D-rings. A second embodiment uses two O-rings in place of the four D-rings. Both the chest strap and the arm strap pass through each of the O-rings. Both of the straps are formed of a resilient or elastic material, such as neoprene to allow the user flexibility and mobility while wearing the sling. The resilient material allows the sling to provide more effective support for the user through a range of motions, thereby allowing increased activity while decreasing pain and the inconvenience associated with wearing a sling. In order to create an easily adjusted attachment, each of the straps has a layer of resilient hook material on one side. At each end of each strap is a patch of hook material. Optionally, the patch of hook material may extend beyond the end of the strap. The combination of hook and loop material is used to connect each end of the strap to the corresponding D-ring. Other attachment mechanisms, such as buckles, snaps, etc. may also be used.
If desired, a resilient pressure-relief member may be attached to the underside of the shoulder pad to create a low-pressure area within the opening in the doughnut. The doughnut would be useful in protecting surgical sites or other sensitive tissue from the pressure caused by the weight of the user""s arm in the sling. The doughnut is preferably formed of a resilient material, such as foam, and has a layer of hook material on one side, which may be attached to the underside of the shoulder pad. If preferred, an alternate attachment could be used.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description along with the accompanying drawings.